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Roles

In the Legislative Assembly

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Crucial Fact

  • His favourite word was know.
Historical Information Jackie Jacobson is no longer a member of the Legislative Assembly.

Last in the Legislative Assembly October 2023, as MLA for Nunakput

Won his last election, in 2019, with 31% of the vote.

Statements in the House

Question 1620-19(2): Exemption of Federal Income Sources from Income Assistance benefits October 5th, 2023

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. At the end of the day, we're not giving these people enough support. Can the Minister commit to forgiving clients who receive federal supports during the pandemic and ensuring they continue to receive their income support and resources? Thank you.

Question 1620-19(2): Exemption of Federal Income Sources from Income Assistance benefits October 5th, 2023

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. So I will get the Minister those names in regards to the family, single mother of five children is being deducted $41,000 and not getting income support and being penalized by our government when they should be providing service. I think that we have to try to keep the, I guess, services that are needed by the single people. And we're not -- this is not by choice for taking income support. It's because they have no choice and there's no jobs where we're from.

Mr. Speaker, I really think right across the whole, with the forgiving the CERB payment, is this Minister -- and I'm going to bring it forward in the next government, to take out the CERB payment claw backs on the second one and the disability payments that the federal government did, and they are being taken away from our people back home under this program, so is the Minister willing to look at that and taking those payments and claw backs and give it back to the people instead of doing the federal government's dirty work. Thank you.

Question 1620-19(2): Exemption of Federal Income Sources from Income Assistance benefits October 5th, 2023

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Acronyms or not, we're clawing back funding that should be going to the residents that are -- that these different programs that we're supposed to provide. CERB payments, yeah, okay. The second, is this round two for the territorial government? It's disability payments that they're being clawed back on. And I've been told by individuals in my riding that they're being clawed back so they're being penalized. So why do CERB one, or the first part of CERB for the -- to no claw backs and then number two they're clawing back when we approved in the House that they weren't going to do this. They told us that, so why are they doing that? Thank you.

Question 1620-19(2): Exemption of Federal Income Sources from Income Assistance benefits October 5th, 2023

I appreciate that. Mr. Speaker, with the CERB payments and the disability payments across the territory, and especially into our riding of Nunakput, can the Minister explain to me why are we debt collecting for the federal government and we are -- these are programs that are impacted because residents have received this federal funding, but are we still debt collecting for CERB and disability payments across the territory? Thank you.

Member's Statement 1651-19(2): Exemption of Federal Income Sources from Income Assistance benefits October 5th, 2023

That's pretty hard to beat that one. So, Mr. Speaker, today the residents are accessing a variety of government support programs - housing, income support, and disability supports, across the it territory, and especially my riding. This is due to a variety of reasons but the main reason that we do not have the sustainable income in Nunakput region - there's no jobs and nothing to sustain families. I have told this House to be compassionate, flexible about the needs of our people, particularly those in small communities.

But, Mr. Speaker, today my residents are facing claw backs, withholding of their income support payment. The ECE took steps in March 2020 to exempt from the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, CERB, from the calculation of benefits on income assistance, the applications. However there are other payments that our residents received, including CERB, CRCB, that's disabilities, and CRSB and CWLB, are now being accounted as assessments when applying for income support.

Mr. Speaker, we need to remember that the residents do not have much support and much resources and are trying to get as much as they can to support their families. I already -- and we're already not providing enough. We're pushing them to obtaining other supports during this unprecedented -- the pandemic that we went through.

The money is not a huge sum of money, Mr. Speaker. People are struggling on high costs of living, high cost of food, just barely getting by. I call again and again we need some compassion here, Mr. Speaker. We need to show we care. COVID feels like forever ago, and we're all worried about the impacts and the supply chain issues, the vulnerability of our residents. People are trying to do whatever they can do to take care of their family. I will ask questions of the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment to make sure that the CERB payment and the disability payment are not being calculated on the income support program and seeing if we could -- for the next government to take off. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Bill 92: An Act to Amend the Petroleum Products and Carbon Tax, No. 3, Carried October 4th, 2023

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Tonight I'll be voting with the carbon tax but I just want to put clarity is the reason I'm supporting the carbon tax bill tonight, it's going to give our communities their funds with the local community governments, and it's going to get the monies to the people, the individual peoples that need it. And I'm still praying it's a tiered system. And we're -- that's why I'm supporting it tonight. But as the carbon tax bill as a whole, I don't support it. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Committee Motion 511-19(2): Bill 84: An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Act - Amend Clause 7, Carried October 4th, 2023

Okay, thank you, Madam Chair. An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development Investment Act Corporation clause 7 of Bill 84 be numbered as subclause 7(1) and following to be added after renumbered subclause. The following added -- what are you doing? You're waving your little arm around here.

The following is added after subsection 5(1.2):

(1.3) The Minister shall make reasonable efforts to appoint directors who are representative of the economic sectors and communities of the Northwest Territories.

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 510-19(2): Bill 65: Builders' Lien Act - New Clause 93.1, Carried October 4th, 2023

Madam Chair, Bill 84, An Act to Amend the Northwest Territories Business Development and Investment Corporation Act, received second reading in the Legislative Assembly on March 30th, 2023, and was referred to the Standing Committee on Economic Development and Environment for review.

Bill 84 is proposed to make numerous changes to legislation that impacts the operations of the corporation. The bill would have also changed the name of the corporation to Prosper NWT. At the time, the committee had concerns about the board of the corporation, from the vacant board positions, inadequate representation from the communities. Further, the committee believes that the Crown corporation of the government, the corporation should have interacted more with the public when going through a rebranding exercise. While the amendment could not have been addressed the concerns about the board's composition, the lack of transparency, the name selection procedure could not be changed at the stage of the process. That is why the committee decided to do its clause by clause on Bill 84 on July 25th, 2023, that the bill was not ready to move forward.

I would like to thank the committee for its work on the review of Bill 84. Individuals and Members may have additional comments.

But before I hand it over to -- back to you, Madam Chair, I'd just like -- on a personal note, Prosper NWT, BDIC, it doesn't matter. As the chair, or board -- for myself, I just want to make sure access to funds for small businesses are into the communities. And I really think this is a really good program for our small businesses across the territory. And I think it doesn't matter the name in regards to it, just as long as it's getting out the door and helping who needs help. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Committee Motion 500-19(2): Committee Report 55-19(2) Standing Committee on Government Operations Report on the Review of Bill 85: United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Implementation Act - Guidelines for Statements, Carried October 4th, 2023

Thank you, Madam Chair. No, I am -- I'm going to support this. It's moving forward. We're going to bring everybody to the table And that's good news about what's happening here. Devolution in ‘14, I was here when that happened. And Inuvialuit, we signed on and everybody was given opportunity. But now if this bill passes, we get to pull it, bring everybody to the table and everybody will have a voice and a say in what they think is right. You know, I really hear what Ron says but, you know, at the end of the day we have to work together, and what Mr. Simpson said is we have to -- a starting point. This is a starting point to something bigger than what we're talking about here. It's going to bring all the nations together, to work together for the betterment of our people who we serve. And that's why we're here. And that's one thing we can't take -- when we take away with this, it's a steppingstone and we leave it to the next government to try to do better and to finish it off. And, you know, I hope in one day they could get all this sorted out. Thank you, Madam Chair.